51 replies to this topic

[Aussierob]

I've started a blog to keep everyone updated with construcytion of the lift. It's not too interesting yet, but will be more so as time goes on.

[Peter]

This is so ridiculous:

Intrawest to Sell Naming Rights to New Ski Resort Gondola
News - Resorts
Whistler (BC), Canada - Three weeks ago, Intrawest's Whistler Blackcomb confirmed that the British Columbia ski and snowboard resort will move forward on construction of its revolutionary and record-setting Peak to Peak Gondola that will connect the two ski mountains at the mid-mountain level. On Tuesday the company announced that sports, entertainment and media company IMG has been named as the exclusive sales agent for the naming rights to the project. IMG works with well-known corporate brands to connect them with prestigious sponsorship opportunities around the world.



Whistler Blackcomb's new Peak to Peak Gondola will connect the two British Columbia ski mountains.
(photo: Intrawest)

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Intrawest to find the naming rights partner for this world-class project,� said Brad Pelletier, Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Canada. “In our mind, the Peak to Peak Gondola will be recognized as an engineering marvel and a true landmark, much like a Golden Gate Bridge or CN Tower. It offers a very exciting opportunity for companies to be a part of the history that this project will make.

The Peak to Peak Gondola will unite Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, setting records for length and height. The Peak to Peak Gondola will travel 4.4 kilometers (2.73 miles) in just 11 minutes, transporting winter and summer guests from Whistler's Roundhouse Lodge to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain.

“The Peak to Peak Gondola will be a key to Whistler Blackcomb’s future, and the corporate naming rights will be an important part of the project’s success,â€� said David Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb’s Chief Operating Officer. “IMG’s global influence and demonstrated success made them the ideal company to lead the search for the right corporate partner for the Peak to Peak Gondola project.â€�

With 28 sky cabins each holding up to 28 people, total capacity will be 4,100 passengers per hour. The Peak to Peak terminal on Whistler Mountain will be located next to the Roundhouse Lodge and easily accessed from the valley by the Village Gondola. On Blackcomb Mountain the Peak to Peak terminal will be located next to the Rendezvous Lodge and accessed from the valley via the Wizard Express and Solar Coaster Express.

Construction will begin this month, with the lift being manufactured and installed by the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group (Doppelmayr) of Austria. The Doppelmayr 3S tri-cable gondola will contain the world's longest unsupported (free) span of 3.024 kilometers (1.88 miles) between the two
towers furthest apart. The highest vertical point is over Fitzsimmons Creek at 415 meters (1,361 feet) - the world's greatest distance above a valley floor of any ski lift.

From: http://www.firsttracksonline.com/index.php...le&sid=2401

I really hope we don't get Wal*Mart Gondola or McDonald's Express

I am going to guess it is Telus Gondola.

This post has been edited by Skier: 09 May 2007 - 04:36 PM

[Aussierob]

I was hoping this wouldn't happen. However, I guess there's a dollar in it. Telus name has been mentioned before as a partner, probably to stick it to Bell who won the olympic sponsorship. Nothing like the Telus Gondola getting all kinds of exposure in the middle of the Bell sponsored olympics.

[SkiBachelor]

Except advertising is band during the Olympics so they would have to blur out all the Telus logos on the cabins, except for the W-B logo.

I remember when the Olympics came to SLC. Deer Valley had to cover the SMI logo on all of its snow making machines.

[Peter]

They certainly did not blur the Doppelmayr logos on the lifts in Torino.

[Alta Cyn]

Aussierob, on Apr 30 2007, 09:59 PM, said:

I've started a blog to keep everyone updated with construcytion of the lift. It's not too interesting yet, but will be more so as time goes on.

Not much is happening right now because the Doppelmayr engineer, who happens to be my neighbour, left for BC yesterday morning. Things'll start moving soon enough

[skierdude9450]

Can't they just call the thing Peak-to-Peak Gondola?

[Ontariodude]

skierdude9450, on May 10 2007, 09:09 PM, said:

Can't they just call the thing Peak-to-Peak Gondola?

I agree; although with how advertising is these days, we are unfortunately being subjected to just getting used to it from the constant amount of it we see everyday. Although adverising has been around for a long time, it seems advertising at ski resorts wasn't as common as it is now.

I guess the positive way of looking at it is that if for example you are advertising at a cash strapped ski area, those adverising revenues just may be keeping them afloat. For Whistler-Blackcomb and Interwest however, they really don't need that extra money... its purely for profit by the looks of it. You know you are doing well when you can afford a tri-cable gondola worth tens of millions of dollars.

Does anybody believe that this project is actually a bad idea? By the looks of it, it should help with base congestion... thats of course affter you get everyone at least half way up

How is the lift and slope congestion at Whistler-Blackcomb anyway? (like around march break or a week previous)

Will T. (ontariodude)

This post has been edited by Ontariodude: 11 May 2007 - 07:49 PM

[mcjones55]

1300 ft. That's one hell of a rope for an evac. I realize that it will have evac cars on each side of the big span, but there needs to be a back up for that?? Ropes come standard at 600ft but you can special order longer ones. 1300 ft of 10mm rope aprox 90lbs, not to mention a method for getting to the cabin and back to a tower.
I'd love to be involved in the process of designing that evac system.

[SkiBachelor]

I'm sure there is a special evac cart that's similar for aerial trams used on these type of lifts.

[WBSKI]

As to slope congestion I think Whistler has been getting less and less busy in recent years. I rarely have to wait for more than 5 min now, on some lifts less. Like Symphony at the beginning of the season, it didn't seem to have any lines.

[Aussierob]

We only do a rope evac between the terminals and the big towers (2 & 3). For the big span the are 4 evac cars. these are winched down the line to the cabin. The winch cable is attached, the grip released, and the cabin hauled back up to the tower and the passengers unloaded there. Even if you did the 1400ft evac to the ground, you would still have to get all the guests down steep terrain, to a creek, and somehow get them downstream the three or four kilometeres to the nearest road. Ain't gonna happen.